Background: Many patients present to the orthopaedic surgeon with complaints of knee pain. In
many such cases making a diagnosis based on clinical examination is often difficulty and frequently
inaccurate. This study sought to document the common findings at knee arthroscopy and how they
compare with clinical impressions.
Methods: A cross-sectional study of 34 patients undergoing diagnostic knee arthroscopy with
undetermined diagnosis was conducted at Mulago Hospital. The preoperative clinical provisional
diagnosis and the findings at arthroscopy were documented, compared and analysed.
Results: The commonest clinical diagnosis was medial meniscal tear (21%), while the most frequent
finding at arthroscopy was osteochondral lesions (27%). The highest correlations between clinical
impressions and arthroscopic findings were in ACL tears and osteoarthritis. The overall accuracy of
clinical examination was 87.2%.
Conclusion: Clinical examination is a useful tool in diagnosing knee pathologies. In Mulago, the
accuracy of the clinical impressions as proved at arthroscopy is high.
